Vehicle crime now accounts for one in five recorded offences, with more than 370,000 vehicles stolen every year in the UK, the equivalent to more than 1,000 a day.

Vehicle crime now accounts for one in five recorded offences, with more than 370,000 vehicles stolen every year in the UK, the equivalent to more than 1,000 a day.

Less than half are recovered and many end up for sale by private sellers.

Unsuspecting buyers have no comeback in these cases and can potentially lose the car and the money they paid for it.

According to the AA, there are many cars offered for sale privately with more outstanding features than stated in the advertisement, including outstanding finance.

This can be tricky to sort out once the car is bought. 'Clocking', where the car's mileage has been falsified is also rife, as are tarted-up insurance write-offs.

AA spokesman Chris Dobson says: "Finding out whether a vehicle is telling the truth is easy, with access to one of the largest databases in the country.

"It is possible to check within minutes whether a car is clean or not."

A car data check from a motoring organisation such as the AA or RAC typically costs about &#xA3;35 for members, or &#xA3;37 for non-members.

They use an advanced motor database from Experian, the global information solutions company and one of the UK's leading sources of vehicle provenance information.

The AA check is unique in linking information to the car by means of its 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number, (VIN), which is claimed to be a more sound identifier than the registration plate, which can be changed to hide a car's history.

Any check, however, can be made via the registration number and will automatically access the following 12 database information sources from Experian:

Vehicle Identity, mileage data check, number of previous keepers, colour changes, high risk cars such as hire cars, scrapped cars, imported and exported cars, Glass's Guide valuations, cars written off by insurance companies, stolen cars, date of first registration and year of manufacture, and also any outstanding finance